The Annie Hunt Series
by RebeccaWatsonPond
Summary: The Annie Hunt Series - 13 Chapters, 13 Episodes. Annie Hunt (OC) is yet another ordinary Earth girl, or so the 12th Doctor thinks. He promises himself he's just going for a quick trip with her - just one - and that is it. No more messing up lives. But when Annie Hunt is dripping with mystery and not playing by the rules, how can he resist?
1. Episode 1: Something to Worry About

When Annie Hunt woke up that morning, she was excited. She couldn't pinpoint the reason, exactly, but as she wriggled into a pair of jeans that she'd had forever, Annie smiled at the mystery of the day ahead, an unknown energy rushing through her. Pulling her hair back into a rough pony-tail, she ran - or bounced, rather - down the stairs, and grabbed some toast before finally leaving her house and walking into the streets of London. She checked her watch as she jumped into a cab - 8:45. Great, she told herself, her second day and she was fifteen minutes late.

"Clapham library, please," she told the driver. And the driver smiled.

"Sure! I don't really know where that is, but I'm sure my GPS will get us there!" he said with a laugh. Annie looked at him, concerned.

"Right," she mumbled in return, busying herself by searching for her ID card in her bag to avoid futher conversation. It didn't work.

"Fabulous things, these GPS things," the man continued as they turned around a corner. "I might invest in one. Well, of course I don't need one, but sometimes I think she needs a bit of help. Always getting me lost, she is. I mean, look at me now. I'm a cab driver in the 21st Century when I should be at a Silurian/Human wedding in the Victorian Era. She's totally out of whack." He rambled on as he drove, and Annie found it difficult to keep up with his conversation so she simply nodded and smiled at what she hoped were appropriate moments. At any other time, she would have got out and caught another cab, but she was already late. And he did seem to be taking her the right way. Soon enough, they pulled up outside of the library and Annie turned to him.

"So how much will that be?" she asked, flashing a small smile. The driver looked back, dumbfounded, as if he didn't understand the question. He lowered an eyebrow in what could only be interpreted as deep thought and scratched his cheek. Annie stared. "How. Much. Money?" she repeated, more slowly this time. Suddenly his eyes lit up and his hair bobbed a bit when he moved his head.

"Oh, money!" he exclaimed, smiling. "I've never really bothered with money. I don't use money. You keep it." It was Annie's turn to look dumbstruck.

"What? No! That's not how this works, I -" she didn't know why she was arguing back. It just didn't seem right. That's not what happened - she caught the cab for work, the cab drove her to work and then she paid the cab driver for said journey to work. But as she protested, he simply shook his head.

"No, I'm not taking your money," he insisted. "And if you don't mind getting out of my car, I have a wedding to get to." Annie blushed a little.

"Oh. Fair enough then," she mumbled as she realised he really wasn't going to let her pay. "Thanks. Thanks a lot!" She smiled at him again, a wide smile of gratitude, and slipped out of the car.

She turned around before walking into the library, watching the strange man drive off. She couldn't understand. What had he meant 'he didn't use money'? He must use money! Look at the clothes he was wearing! All fashionable and stylish with his shirt and rolled up jeans, and his very obviously newly bought converse. And then there was the thing about the Victorian Era. That was just mental, she told herself. He must have been a bit of a madman. How odd, she thought as she checked in and sat down behind her desk. She looked at the clock that hung on the sparse wall of Clapham Library and sighed. 8:52. She was very late. She heard the doors of the library swing open and she cursed under her breath, expecting a grilling from a boss. She turned in her chair, a false smile on her face, but that was instantly swapped for a confused look when she realised who it was. The cab driver. Walking very quickly towards her.

"Sorry, I forgot to say. My name's The Doctor," she blinked and he continued, "and there's something wrong with your badge."

* * *

"Excuse me?" she asked, instinctively reaching for the ID badge that she currently had strapped around her neck. "My badge?"

"Yes, see, that's the problem. Your badge. It's not really a badge at all." Annie blinked at him, not understanding at all.

"Right," she replied, turning back to her work. "You're mental."

"Well, yeah," The Doctor said. Annie carried on typing, expecting the man to leave her alone, but when she realised he was still staring at her, she turned around.

"What?!" she exclaimed.

"I can't just leave you hear with that thing stuck on a string around your neck," he told her, pulling up a chair and sitting at the empty desk opposite Annie. She sighed.

"You can't stay here!"

"Sure I can. Look, empty desk. Not empty anymore. Brilliant. Fantastic. Nothing to worry about," he smiled and began tapping away at the computer. Annie just watched him, completely stunned by this man's inexplicable behavior.

"Really, Dr... What did you say your name was?"

"Just The Doctor," he answered, wondering how many more times in his life he'd repeat those words. Just how many more times were people not going to accept that he was just The Doctor and how many more people were going to ask him the same question?  
"But Doctor Who?" she asked. The Doctor sighed. One more than the last count, evidently.

"Just The Doctor. Really." Annie scoffed.

"Nobody is called 'The Doctor'. That's not a name. That's a title. That's like calling me 'The Librarian'."

"Well I can call you that if you like," he said, his face deadly serious. Annie thinned her eyes and examined his face. He wasn't unattractive, but he wasn't attractive either. She shook her head.

"No, that's not the point I'm making. Don't call me The Librarian, that's weird. So you shouldn't expect me to call you The Doctor." He looked up from the computer screen.

"Well what else can I call you? And what else can I call me? I've always been The Doctor. Everyone calls me The Doctor. Not 100% sure why, but it's a name I've grown into. And it's a good name. What's wrong with it?" Annie laughed.

"What's right with it?! It's not like you can have a Facebook account with the name 'The Doctor'. That'd be ridiculous. And what do people say when you fill out forms? When you buy a house or... or a television or a dog?" The Doctor tilted his head sideways, ironically and coincidentally mimicking a confused puppy.

"Why would I want to by a dog? I have a dog." She shook her head again in disbelief.

"And what's your dog called then? 'The Pet'?"

"Don't be silly," he ran a hand through his somewhat messy hair, suddenly feeling slightly defensive. "He's called K-9."

"Even better," she muttered cynically. "Anyway, you can call me Annie. It does say so on my badge." The Doctor leaned forward, apparently straining to read.

"No, it doesn't. In fact, your badge doesn't actually say anything at all," he declared, sitting back in his chair. Annie lowered her eyebrows, confused.

"What? Of course it does. Right there, see. Annie Ba-" she turned her badge around so she could read it as she spoke, but found it to be empty when she did so. In further confusion and a little bit of worry, she pulled the badge off from around her neck and threw it down onto her desk. "Okay, what's going on here?"

"Well, the paper is slightly psychic," he began explaining. "You see what it wants you to see. And whoever gave you this badge wanted you to see it - and everyone else, for that matter - as your work ID badge. It's good stuff, too. Almost had me fooled for a moment back in the cab. Well, I say almost, I noticed it straight away but any other person wouldn't have realised. And then there's the case of the badge," he reached forward and picked it up, pulling out a futuristic looking device from his pocket as he examined it.

"What the hell is that thing?" Annie cried, staring at the metallic, pen-shaped object that had now started to emit a bluish-green light and a high pitched whirring sound. The Doctor looked up.

"Huh? Oh. Sonic screwdriver," he said. Annie opened her mouth to ask more questions, but The Doctor cut her off. "See! Just what I was expecting. I bombarded the case with electrical pulses, which would be perfectly pointless if this was just a normal, plastic, badge case. But it's not, I'm afraid. You hear that tiny little beeping sound? The sonic's picking up echoes. Somehow, the case of your ID badge is reflecting electrical pulses and amplifying them. And only something living can do that. So, final summation, your badge casing is made of -"

"- Living plastic? Are you completely barmy?!"

"Of course," he replied. "That doesn't mean I'm wrong." Annie pulled a face which told The Doctor she still didn't quite believe him.

"You really thing highly of yourself, don't you, Doctor?" she remarked. He smiled.

"You called me Doctor," he said, grinning.

"Never mind that! What are we doing about the plastic?"

"Right, yes! Well, luckily I've dealt with this before. Loads, actually. I just need to determine where the link is coming from that's keeping it alive, therefore discovering the location of the Nestene Consciousness and then I can -"

"Yeah, okay, enough of the technical jargon. Let me just go talk to my boss, and I'll come with you." The Doctor's eyes widened.

"Oh no you don't. Last thing I need is another life to be responsible for."

"Who said you're responsible for me? I can look after myself," she argued. He didn't reply, mainly because he knew she was right. Plus he quite liked the idea of Annie tagging along, he liked her. She asked questions and thought he was barmy.

"Fine," he replied, standing. She grabbed her jacket and smiled.

"This should be fun!" she squealed.

"Yeah," he replied as he watched her run off to talk to her boss. "I'm sure there's nothing to worry about.

* * *

The Doctor waited outside of Clapham Library as he waited for Annie, sighing as he caught a glimpse of his reflection in a car mirror and realised - with much disappointment - that he wasn't ginger. Once again his hair was boring and brown and untamed. He kicked the ground like an impatient child and thought deeply about what he was doing. He was taking yet another innocent girl and was probably going to ruin her life. He couldn't do this. He'd take her to defeat the Nestene, like he'd promised, but that was it. Oh, and maybe a quick look at the TARDIS - The old girl did like to be shown off. He smiled as he remembered all those other times, regretting his decision to travel alone for so long. It would be nice to have a friendly face with him. Maybe just one trip and then -

"Ready?" a voice said behind him, high pitched and excited. The Doctor turned on his heel, still grinning.

"If you are!" he replied. She jumped down from the stair and had to grab onto The Doctor to steady herself when she landed. "Woah, you okay?" he asked, supporting her. Annie laughed it off.

"Just a little unstable," she replied. She looked around, eyes searching. "Where's your cab?"

"My...? Oh! Cab! Right, yeah," he scratched his head. "Wasn't really my cab. I, uh, acquired it. I can't technically drive. Not by law, anyway. My licence ran out in about 1954." Annie stared at him, slack jawed and wide eyes.

"You drove me to work this morning, and you don't have a licence?!" The Doctor shook his head and began to walk down the street. Annie followed. "And did you just say 1954?" He stopped.

"Ah, yes, erm," he cursed himself in his head as he rapidly try to think of an excuse, but Annie had it covered.

"Exaggerating a bit there, were we, Doctor?" He laughed awkwardly.

"Er, yes," he replied, not convincing himself that he sounded genuine.

"So how are we getting to the plastic?" she asked as they began walking again.

"On foot. Good, old, classic walking. And it's the plastic we're going to. It's its leader." Annie snorted slightly.

"Leader? Oh God, you really are mental, aren't you? I just skived off work to run around London with a complete mad-head. What was I thinking..." The Doctor simply smiled.

"You were thinking that anything would be more interesting than being stuck inside a library all day," he replied. Annie stopped in her tracks, offended.

"Excuse me, I happen to like where I work. Books are my thing. And I'd appreciate it if you didn't insult them," she said, her face deadpan.

"No! No no no no no no, I wasn't insulting books! I love books! That's not what I was -" The Doctor stopped when he noticed from the look on Annie's face that he wasn't making things better. "I was just saying. This is a little more exciting than spending your day behind a desk." Annie stared at him, trying to come up with an argument, but she couldn't. Instead she rolled her eyes at him and walked forward, taking the lead. The Doctor hurried behind. "I don't know what you're storming off for, it's not like you know where we're headed," he mumbled, half to himself.

"Really? Because I just presumed we were headed over there," Annie returned, nodding towards a blue box that was on the corner of the street. The Doctor didn't reply. "I'm right, aren't I, Doctor?" she asked, not turning to look at him. But when he didn't reply again, she looked over her shoulder. "Doctor?" he was standing there, eyebrows furrowed, glancing from Annie to the box and back again, deep in concentration.

"Annie," he began, his voice slow and serious. "Can you see that?" He looked at her concerned, and she began to panic a little.

"What, the box? Yeah, 'course I can see it. It's big and blue and not normally there. Why? Isn't it there? Am I making it up? On that corner there! I assume that's where you were headed. A big, blue, Police box?" she spoke quickly, her voice a tone higher than usual.

"No, it's there," he told her, calming her a little. "But you should not be able to see it." Annie turned from him and looked at the box again.  
"Well I can, it's standing there in all it's glory almost yelling 'notice me'!"

"But that's wrong. Nobody else seems to be noticing it, but you can see it. Clear as day..." he stated. Annie nodded.

"Yeah. And that's a good point, actually. Why is nobody else seeing it?" she turned back to him. "And why shouldn't I?" The Doctor scratched his head and began to walk towards the box.

"Perception filter. It shifts your perception slightly, so you know it's there, but it's like you don't want to know. Your brain just sort of ignores it. Apart from you," they reached the edge of the street where the box was sat and he turned to her. "You can see the box." Annie shook her head.

"You're talking crazy again," she remarked. She looked around and saw an elderly woman walking slowly, further up the street. Annie walked towards her and stopped her in her path. "Excuse me?" she said to her. The woman smiled.

"Yes, dear? How can I help?"

"I was just wondering," she began, "can you see a big, blue box - about eight foot tall - on that corner over there?" The elderly woman turned and glanced, and then laughed to herself.

"Why, yes, dear! I do! I'd never noticed that before you just pointed it out!" she laughed again, gently. "And I just walked by that way! I really am losing it. Old age, that's what it is." Annie smiled at in response before making her way back over to The Doctor.

"Okay, you're not crazy. Well, either that or that woman just really is," she muttered, but he wasn't listening. Instead he was running around the blue box, scanning it with the pen-shaped object he'd previously called his sonic screwdriver. Annie shook her head and looked at the time on her phone. 10:23. She'd barely been awake for an hour and already her day had been full of completely mental things - psychic paper, sonic screwdrivers, and now a big, blue, should-be-invisible box. "Maybe I'm the crazy one..."

"Nope, you're sane, don't worry," The Doctor said, popping his head around the side of the box. "Looks like she was just having a blip and let you in... Maybe because you're with me. I hope so anyway... Anyway," he said, walking back around. He placed a hand on the door of the Police box, stroking it slightly. Annie had to stop herself from laughing.

"You're stroking a box," she said. The Doctor stopped and turned to her.

"And what of it? I bet you stroke your cat."

"I don't have a cat."

"No, I didn't think you did. You don't come across as an animal person."

"No, I'm not."

"No, I noticed." They stood staring at each other for a while.

"So are you going to explain the box, then?" Annie asked, placing a hand on her hip.

"Ah, yes! Well, first thing's first," he turned around again and grabbed a handle. "It's not a box." Anne tilted her head.

"What?"

"It's not a box. It's a ship." This time, Annie couldn't stop herself. She laughed out loud, causing The Doctor to frown. "Don't laugh at me, Annie Hunt. This is a ship. A real ship."

"Yes, right, mhmm, and how long have you been off your meds?" The Doctor exhaled and looked over his shoulder at her.

"Don't believe me?" he asked. Annie crinkled her nose and shook her head.

"I'll believe it when I see it," she replied, crossing her arms across her chest. He nodded understandingly and stood back, staring at the box with her. Suddenly, he clicked his fingers and the doors of the box swung open. Annie stepped back slightly and gasped before letting out a shaky giggle.

"Believe me now?"

* * *

"This... I..." Annie tried to form a sentence, but words completely failed her. She simply stared into this box of wonders that lay before her, wondering if this was how Alice felt before she fell through the looking glass or how Wendy felt when Peter taught her to fly. This feeling of sheer excitement and absolute terror mixed into one big incomprehensible amalgamation of emotion. She almost let out a small squeal, but decided to keep her dignity intact. The Doctor stood by her side, smiling. "Your box isn't a box..." she managed. The Doctor laughed and patted her on the back.

"I told you so," he replied, walking forward. "Care to join me?" he held out a hand to Annie without turning around. She laughed and took it.

"You... Are completely mental," she said, but followed him through the blue doors of the box all the same. And it was totally magnificent. Somehow, that tiny box that was sat on the edge of the street, held an entire room. An impossible room. Annie stared in wonder as The Doctor released her hand and ran excitedly over to the center of the room where a large column rose to the ceiling. That impossibly high ceiling. The walls seemed to be emitting a soft, orange light, and dark blue squares scattered the roof covered in constellations and circular patterns. It was as if someone had stolen the sky and broke it up before plastering it around this magnificent room. Annie turned around in disbelief to check that the real world was still there. "Doctor," she began. He looked up from the console at which he was currently tapping away at. "This... This is amazing. Your box... it's huge. It's impossible. It's -"

"Now, Annie, I should warn you now. If you call me mental one more time I honestly don't know what I'll do." She turned her head over her shoulder to look at him, a playful smile on her face.

"Your box is mental," she whispered before letting out a giggle. The Doctor stared at her, a pout on his face.

"There was a line, and you crossed it. That's it. Out of my ship," he said, completely serious. Annie frowned, causing The Doctor to laugh almost uncontrollably. Annie frowned further.

"That wasn't funny, Doctor!" she complained. He raised an eyebrow.

"Really? I thought it was hilarious. Maybe that's the type of person I am now. Hilarious," he smiled to himself. "Yeah, hilarious. I like that." She rolled her eyes.

"That's really not the word I'd use to describe you."

"No," he agreed. "Probably because they only adjectives you seem to know are all regarding my mental health." He smiled as she frowned once more and then continued typing away at the console. "So, living plastic. Living plastic under the instruction from the Nestene Consciousness. The Nestene Consciousness that, for some unknown reason, decided to target you."

"Why me?" she asked, taking a seat in one of the deck chairs that just happened to be dotted about one edge of the room. The Doctor shrugged.

"Dunno'. But we'll find out. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about," he told her.

"Why is it up to you to find out? And how do you know about all this stuff?" she asked. The Doctor inhaled deeply.

"You really want to know?" Annie nodded. "I'm an alien. I'm a Time Lord. I'm over 2000 years old. I have two hearts and a sonic screwdriver and I've traveled to places you've never heard of, seen things you'd never believe and done things I hope you'll never need to know. And now I'm going to find out exactly what the Nestene wants with you." She looked at him as she took in the information, not sure how to reply. She nodded to show she understood.

"Right. Alien. 2000 years. Two hearts. Okay. And now you're going to find out what this Consciousness wants with me... How exactly are you going to do that?" Annie watched him as he danced around the column in the center of the room, pressing various buttons and pulling various levers.

"How does anyone find out anything?" he hit one last button. "I'll ask." Annie nodded, and just as she was about to push the chair back into its reclining position, she was thrown off onto the floor as the room shook violently around her.

"Erm, Doctor?" she shouted above the roar. He laughed and looked over to her.

"Annie?" he yelled back.

"What they hell is happening?!" she was scared, but excited too. There was something oddly familiar about the rocking sensation of the room and the intrusively loud noise that should have been irritating felt rather calming to Annie, but she still wasn't sure what was going on.

"We're moving!" he replied, holding on tight to a metal bar that surrounded the console. "I used the plastic from your badge case to establish a link between where we are right now, and where the link that is sustaining the life in your badge ca-" the room stop shaking, causing The Doctor to stumble slightly and stop talking. Annie laughed and he shot her a glare. "Where the link that is sustaining the life in your badge case is coming from," he finished. "And that's where we are now. The Nestene Consciousness should be pretty much just outside those doors." Annie stood, straightened her jacket and tightened her pony tail.

"Great!" she smiled. "But next time give me a warning before you decide to tip me out of my chair with your moving box."

"Okay, I'm sorry about that. And will you please stop calling my spaceship a box? It's called the TARDIS. Well, she is."

"TARDIS?" Annie questioned.

"Yes. T.A.R.D.I.S. Time and Relative Dimensions in Space." He said each word slowly and clearly, with a proud smile on his face.

"Blimey. Well, I see the need for an acronym; that really is a mouthful." The Doctor looked at her, slightly hurt and disappointed that she hadn't been impressed. As he frowned, she walked over to the doors. "We leaving then?"

"In a second," he turned around and started pressing buttons again. Annie rolled her eyes.

"We're not moving again, are we?" she complained. The Doctor looked at her. That was new. Nobody had ever complained about the TARDIS before - they'd all been excited and raring to go. But not Annie. There was something different about her...

"No, I just need to get something," he said as a small vial of viscous blue liquid emerged from a gap in the console. He grabbed it and tucked it into the pocket of his jeans.

"And that is...?" Annie asked as he ran over to her. He grasped the handle and patted his pocket.

"Anti-plastic," and he pushed the doors open.

* * *

The Doctor walked out of the TARDIS, with Annie close behind. She gasped as she step foot outside onto different ground. They weren't on the street in Clapham anymore, Annie couldn't figure out where they were. It looked like a gym or a sports hall, completely abandoned and old, but the floor had been cut away in the center, and there was a large vat in the middle. A large vat containing a yellow-ish, apparently molten substance. A substance with a face. Annie grasped onto The Doctor's arm in fear.  
"Ah, so we meet again," he yelled into the vat. It roared in return and shifted. Annie stepped back slightly, feeling uncomfortable. "Oh, don't give me that. I know you're just invading again. I'm surprised it took you this long to be honest." Another roar. "Not an invasion?! What do you call this, then? And why her? That's the main thing I want to know. Why an innocent library girl from Clapham?" He pushed Annie forward in an attempt to make the Nestene recognise her. It roared once more, angrier than before and she hastily stepped back again. "You're what? 'Following orders'? From who?! And since when does the Nestene take orders from anyone?!" There was one last roar, and The Doctor staggered back. Annie looked at him as he was about to shout something back, his face showing confusion. But as he opened his mouth to reply, everything went black.

* * *

The Doctor opened his eyes and closed them again instantly when the harsh light of the TARDIS flooded into sight. He sat up, squinting as he scanned the room. Definitely the TARDIS, he told himself as he stood. He blinked, his eyes quickly getting used to the light, and looked around for Annie. When he saw her, he smiled. She was lying in the same deck chair in which she'd been sat earlier, breathing lightly as she slept. He walked over to her, his mind unscrambling. He'd been talking to the Nestene, he remembered as he sat down. He accused it of invading - which it was doing - then listened to its excuses. Its excuses of... What had it said? Taking orders? Orders from who? He sighed and kicked his own chair into its reclining position and stared at the ceiling of the TARDIS. What had happened? How had he got from there, to being back in the TARDIS? He sighed again, causing Annie to stir. He sat up, still thinking about what had happened as he watched her wake up. She sat up slowly, pulling her hair out of its ponytail.

"Morning," she said, crossing her legs. Annie looked around, rubbing at an eye with a balled up fist. "What time is it?" The Doctor looked at his wrist, the place where a watch should be, before looking back up to her and shrugging.

"Don't know," he said, scratching his cheek. "Come to think of it, I don't even know where we are." Annie looked at him.

"What are you talking about? We haven't moved since we came in here," she told him. The Doctor lowered his eyebrows.

"What?"

"We came in, you were tapping away at some rubbish on your console thing, and I sat down and had a sleep. You said it'd take a while to establish a link between the plastic and the Consciousness so I said I was going to have a nap," she explained. Annie looked at The Doctor who looked back, confused. "Why don't you remember this?" He stared at her and breathed in deeply. Something was wrong. Something - or someone - had not only managed to move both himself and Annie from that gym back to the TARDIS, but they'd also made her forget. He looked at her, at her equally confused face, and decided that he didn't want to worry her so he smiled.

"Ha, gotcha!" he lied, punching her playfully on the arm. She frowned.

"You have got to stop doing stuff like that," she told him. "I've only known you five minutes and I've already wanted to slap you twice." He smiled at her.

"I just have that kind of face," he joked, sticking his tongue out. She did the same as he stood and walked over to the console and picked up the badge case that was still wired into the ship.

"We leaving then?" she asked, excited. The Doctor tapped the case against his hand.

"'Fraid not," Anne's smile faded. "The link seems to have just... Died. The plastic is just plastic now. It's not living, not anything. Seems the Nestene just... Gave up. Sorry."

"It's okay," she replied. "I probably should get back to work anyway." She stood and walked over to the door, seemingly drained of her previous enthusiasm. The Doctor watched her go, intrigued at what had gone on. Why had her badge been made of psychic paper? Why had the Nestene focused on her? And what on Earth had happened back there - why couldn't Annie remember? She has just closed the door behind her when something occurred to him. He ran over to the doors and pulled them open.

"Annie!" he called after her down the street, causing a few people to stare. She turned on her heel.

"Doctor?" she yelled with a frown. He gestured for her to come back with a nod of his head and she rolled her eyes, walking over to him slowly. "What?" she asked, irritated. He smiled and reached one hand into his pocket whilst taking one of Annie's with his other. He turned her palm upwards and placed a small, metal object into her hand, closing her fingers around it. She looked at her hand confused. "What's this?" Annie uncurled her fingers to reveal a key. A TARDIS key. She smiled. "Is this what I think it is?" she squealed, examining it closely. The Doctor nodded as she hugged him. "So you want me to come?!" The Doctor shook his head.

"No," he told her bluntly with a straight face. Her smile faded and her eyebrows dropped. "I want you to stay." She smiled through her frown and hit him playfully on the chest.

"I thought I told you to stop doing that!" she exclaimed and The Doctor laughed.

"Come on, then," he said, stepping back into the TARDIS to allow her to follow. She ran in, all enthusiasm restored, and practically skipped around the console. The Doctor watched her from where he stood, smiling with her but knowing there was something wrong. Something not quite right with this girl. And that's why he'd asked her to stay. Not to show off, for once, no - he wasn't doing this for himself. Annie had to stay with him because he needed to protect her from - well, whatever was going on here. And whatever it was, it was definitely something to worry about.


	2. Episode 2: Interference

"What the hell are you doing?!" Annie yelled, holding on tight to whatever she could grab hold of in the TARDIS. The Doctor looked at her, wide eyed and visibly scared.

"I'm not doing anything! It's the TARDIS, she's flying herself!" he returned, pulling desperately at levers.

"She's what?! How can she do that? She's a box!"

"FOR THE LAST TIME, THE TARDIS IS NOT A BOX!" he shouted over the loud sound of her engines. Annie shot him a look that told him to shut up and he huffed. "Look, this is perfectly normal..." he lied. Annie rolled her eyes, picking up on his fib.

"Sure, that's why you look like you're about to go into battle, unarmed, against an army of three thousand men!" she shouted, cynically. She was cynical a lot, The Doctor had realised as the TARDIS landed abruptly. Annie cursed under her breath so The Doctor wouldn't hear her and straightened her t-shirt.

"I've gone into battle against armies," he told her with a serious face. "Believe me, they're the ones shaking in fear." Annie blinked at him.

"Right. I'll bear that in mind," she smiled awkwardly. They stared at each other for a moment, the air in the TARDIS becoming increasingly uncomfortable. "So," Annie began, breaking the silence and nodding to the door. "Outside?" The Doctor broke into a toothy grin and raised his eyebrows.

"Would you care to accompany me to a possible alien planet, Miss Hunt?" he asked, holding out a hand to her. Annie grinned back.

"Oh I'd be honored, Mr... Box Boy," she laughed and took his extended hand. "Is this safe?" she asked as they walked towards the doors. He shrugged in return.

"Maybe. Maybe not," he replied. She stopped and turned to him, alarmed.

"You mean you don't know?" He smiled a little cheekily.

"Where'd be the fun in that?" he joked and she laughed a little. "Ready?" She nodded and they began walking again.

A new planet. New people - no wait, would they even be classed as people? Oh whatever, Annie didn't care. A new sky. New ground. New everything. She was beside herself with excitement and was trying her hardest not to let out the squeal she was currently suppressing. She squeezed The Doctor's hand in her own and kept her eyes focused forward. Behind those two, small wooden panels was something completely wonderful. They were three steps away.

_Step._

She couldn't believe she was doing this. Her palms were sweaty and her breathing was getting shallow and erratic.

_Step._

Nearly there. What would it be like? She imagined fields of orange grass meeting a burning red sky with multicoloured birds flying overhead. Would birds even exist?

_Step._

She missed a breath. The Doctor extended his free hand, her imagination racing as he wrapped his fingers around the handle. She was imagining a world underwater with people walking around, the size of giants, and fish swimming past with eyes that -

"Oh," she voiced. The Doctor had opened the door to reveal a street. A normal, grey, London street. Never in her life had she been more disappointed and she swore she literally felt her heart drop lower in her chest. She turned to The Doctor, hand on one hip. "You promised me a planet."

"Ah," he replied, flailing awkwardly. "Actually, I promised you the possibility of a planet. I never said that we were -"

"Oh whatever," Annie shook her head. "There must be something special about this crappy street, right? I mean, your box didn't just fly us to -" she stepped out and looked around, eyes landing on a Tube station sign. "Baker Street for nothing," she finished. The Doctor nodded in agreement, following her out.

"Good point, Annie. Also, not a box. But still, good point..." he trailed off as he locked the doors behind him. "So, Baker Street. What's so special about Baker Street?" Annie shrugged and quickly followed The Doctor as he began walking towards an elderly man who was resting against a wall of a building across the road. He was seemingly homeless with his ragged clothes, woolly hat pulled tightly over thinning but dirty hair and a dog sat loyally beside him.

"Good morning, sir!" The Doctor said to the man, a toothy grin on his face. "Now, I was just wondering - and don't call me mad, because this one does it enough - what date is it?" Annie scowled at him for bringing her into this but the old man didn't notice. He sniffed and pulled his coat closer together, which was neither brown nor grey, before answering.

"Date?" he repeated in a thick Scottish accent. "January 4th, 2024." Annie's eyes widened but The Doctor simply smiled some more and patted the man on the shoulder and thanked him before crossing the road again. Annie stared at him.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"2024. That man just said 2024."

"Oh good, your ears still work then." Annie scowled again and hit him on the arm.

"No need to be sarcastic, box man. But... It's 2024," she said a second time. The Doctor stared at her still, not getting it. She sighed. "I'm in the sodding future!"

"Oh yes!" he beamed, slapping her encouragingly on the shoulder. "Hello Annie Hunt, and welcome to the future!"

* * *

Annie giggled involuntarily and spun around on the spot, taking in the street. It was a normal street, and Annie had been thoroughly disappointed five minutes ago, but suddenly the grey streets had a silver tinge to them and the promise of a being a whole decade in the future made everything glow slightly.

"The sodding future!" Annie repeated. "Hang on, does that mean I can, you know, find myself?" The Doctor shook his head.

"No. Nope. Definitely not. That could lead to all sorts of mishaps," he warned her. She nodded, not fully understanding but not caring too much. "We can, however, go check some stuff out. 2024, the Olympics is back in London. And blimey are there some new games! Everything is a little, uh, more violent. Blood sports have made a comeback... But there's some good stuff too." Annie raised an eyebrow cynically.

"Yeah? I'm sure that cancels out the blood sports."

"Yeah, maybe not. But the jellyfish racing and scuba-hurdles are brilliant."

"Jellyfish?" The Doctor smiled.

"Oh yes. It's like horse racing, though smaller and with no jockeys. It's great!" Annie perked up at this.

"Sounds fun! We going then?" He nodded.

"And we're lucky, too. 2024. They held the Olympics in January, so we don't have far to travel. The opening ceremony is on the..." he paused and thought. "Something of January."

"The 6th," Annie told him. He looked at her.

"How did you figure that out?"

"I'm just a genius," she said, then laughed and nodded to the window of a newsagents.

"Oh, you cheat. Anyway, that means there's only two days to travel. So we can just pop back into the TARDIS and -"

"No," Annie interrupted. "I mean, why don't we just wait it out? We can stay in the TARDIS, but why don't we live out a couple of days? Please. I'd like to." The Doctor looked at her. This was something new. Nobody had ever wanted to stay before. He was used to living with action, not just a normal, 2024 Earth life. But there was that something about Annie that made her different from other girls, so he found himself saying yes.

"Okay then, Annie Hunt, you have a deal!" He smiled and she smiled with him. "So, what shall we do first?" She looked around. It may be the future, but surely there was still a cafe somewhere?

"I want to eat," she said, and The Doctor agreed.

"Good plan, I'm starving. I haven't eaten since... Actually, I can't remember."

"Well I can, and it was a rubbish piece of toast that day I met you. I could do with pizza or something."

"Pizza... That's the one you eat with a spoon, right?" Annie laughed.

"Are you kidding me? You don't know what pizza is? Wow, you really are an alien!" The Doctor frowned, offended, and Annie rolled her eyes. "Come on, box boy. Time for pizza."

* * *

The Doctor and Annie found a Pizza Express conveniently located a few minutes away from the Tube station and sat in the corner sharing a margherita whilst she told him about the first time she had eaten pizza. A song that Annie had never heard before was playing on the radio.

"Was I 7 or 8? Not sure. That's irrelevant. It was my birthday anyway, I think. Or was it my friends? Anyway, we went to a Pizza Hut or something and it was probably the best thing I've ever eaten. Apart from marmite on toast. Or chocolate orange. Wow, I never realised I liked so many types of food!" She laughed and took a drink from the Pepsi that was in front of her. The Doctor took a bite from a slice and grimaced slightly before putting it back down.

"That's pizza?" he questioned. Annie looked almost hurt.

"You are not telling me that you don't like pizza?" she complained. He poked at it with a straw.

"Well, kind of. It's not anything to write home about..." Annie rolled her eyes.

"This is mental. Pizza. How is it possible to dislike pizza?!" The Doctor raised is hands in defense whilst quickly preparing an argument to back his judgment, but was interrupted by a loud and unexpected buzzing sound. Everyone in the restaurant flinched a little and worried faces searched the room for its cause.

"What is that?" Annie asked, hands going instantly to her ears to block out the noise. The Doctor stood, but that was when the noise stopped.

People looked at each other, concerned, before returning to their meals and conversations and The Doctor stayed stood.

"I don't know," she said, pulling out his sonic screwdriver. "It sounded like -"

"Sorry about that, folks!" a voice cut in. It was one of the waiters and he was currently looking very embarrassed. "Just a little interference with the hi-fi system there! Looks like our head chef John left his mobile a little too close to the speakers!" There was a ripple of expected laughter among the customers and he smiled one last apology before returning to collecting glasses. Annie returned to her food, satisfied with the explanation, but The Doctor sat down with a frown on his face.

"What?" she asked, stealing a slice of pizza from his side of the plate. He flicked his sonic and tapped it gently against his wrist.

"Nothing. It's just..." he trailed off, staring at a small flashing light on the screwdriver. "That doesn't make sense. It wasn't just technical difficulties. Can't have been." Annie put down the pizza with a sigh and sat back.

"Oh, it's all mysteries around you, isn't it, Doctor?"

"I could say the same thing about you," he murmured to himself, hardly audible above the sound of chatter and eating. "All the time," he said a little louder, sliding the screwdriver back into his jacket pocket. "I'm sure this is nothing to worry about though." She smiled and started eating again as The Doctor thought.

He'd lied again, of course this was something to worry about. This was probably why the TARDIS had pulled them here. The mystery behind the buzzing. Forget the Olympics, he told himself sadly. And he was really looking forward to the jellyfish. He took a drink from his glass. So that wasn't interference - there were no mobile phone or WiFi signals, nothing like that in the air that could have caused such a noise. So what was it? He ran a hand through his hair, messing it up further, and Annie smiled.

"You're doing that thing again," she pointed out.

"What thing?"

"The hair thing. You do it when you're thinking." The Doctor smiled.

"I have a thing? Ooh, that's new. I don't think I've ever had a thing before. And it must be an obvious thing if you've already picked up on it. Or maybe you're just good at noticing things. You are quite good at things, Annie Hunt." She smiled in return.

"Thank you, Doctor. You're not too bad yourself. So, where next? Anything grand going on in London in 2024 other than the Olympics?"

"Hmm, let me think..." he stared down at the table as he flicked through the factfile of infinite knowledge that was his brain and ran his hand through his hair again without realising. Annie smiled to herself. "Oh! There's a new art style that's just been created. They're bored of cubism and stuff by now, these days it's all about the Predictism art."

"Predictism?" she asked.

"Yes. Half finished masterpieces. It allows the audience to make up their own final piece in their head. Quite fun, actually. There are usually competitions where you finish it how you want then the artist chooses their favourite. I, uh, won a few in my time..." he told her, brushing crumbs that weren't there off of his jeans. Annie rolled her eyes at his boasting.

"Show off. Sounds good to me though!" She stood and shrugged on her jacket. "Hope you brought your best pencil though, box boy, because I'm a hell of an artist." The Doctor smiled and pulled out a HB pencil from his jacket and Annie frowned. "Seriously? Is there anything you don't have in there?" He laughed.

"A way to stop you talking," he replied. She laughed with him and they turned to leave. And they would have left, too. And they would have gone to see the Predictism exhibit. And Annie would have won first prize for finishing David Parry's 'Hunter' painting with a twist. But the interference stopped them. Just as they were about to leave the restaurant, the loud buzzing sound came from nowhere again and The Doctor couldn't resist looking into it.

* * *

"No, you don't get it!" The Doctor argued as they stood in the TARDIS with the radio from the restaurant that they had 'acquired'.

"Okay then, explain!" Annie returned. She flopped into her chosen deck chair and listened to The Doctor ramble on.

"The interference. It's not. Well, it is. But it's wrong. It's coming from inside the thing itself. It's not another signal passing by, causing the noise, it's another signal overlaying the first." He looked up from what he was doing to confirm that Annie was with him so far. "Basically, something's inside the radio signals. Or something's getting through anyway." Annie stood.

"Like an alien something?" she asked, excited by the prospect.

"Could be," The Doctor agreed, flicking a switch on the radio. "Or it could just be a broadcasting error. But somehow, I don't think so..."

"So what can we do?" she asked, raring to get going on her first mystery.

"Well, I'm going to try and pinpoint where the signal is coming from. See if I can get a physical location that we can check out. You can be very helpful and lend me your mobile phone." Annie blinked at him and tapped her pockets.

"Yeah, slight problem there. I don't have one." The Doctor froze.

"You don't have one? What? That's not even an option." Annie let out a laugh.

"Oh, right! Use yours then if not having one isn't an option!"

"No, I don't have one. Why would I need one? My ship is a_ phonebox_. That's as mobile as a phone can get. No, you're not allowed to not have one. You're a twenty three year old in the 21st century and you don't have a mobile phone?!" Annie frowned.

"Twenty two."

"Oh, semantics. Seriously though, you don't have a mobile phone?" Annie shrugged.

"Why is that so hard to believe?"

"It just is. Why don't you have one?" Annie sighed at this as if she'd been asked a million times.

"I don't know, just never wanted one! Never really needed one."

"Really? But how do you, I don't know, arrange to meet with friends? Go for pizza and..." he searched for something else 21st Century-y. "Bowling!" Annie laughed.

"Bowling? Really? I'm twenty two, Doctor, not twelve. Anyway," she continued, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I don't really have many friends to keep in touch with." The Doctor looked over at her.

"What?"

"Friends. Not many. Come to think of it, none at all. Not really a people person. I got my books!" She smiled weakly, but The Doctor wasn't having it.

"How can you be a twenty two year old in London and not have a single friend?" She shrugged again in response. "Not even an old school friend or so?"

"Oh, there's loads of them, sure! Had lots of friends at school. Or at least, I think I did..." she trailed off for a moment, lost in her memories. "Doesn't matter though," she said, shaking off the ghosts from her past. "And hey, I have you." The Doctor smiled.

"Yeah, you do. But you messed up this plan, didn't you?" he sighed as she nodded. "Aye well, I'm sure we'll manage with something else!" Annie stood, walked over to the radio and switched it on. It began playing an old _Squeeze_ song and she smiled, turning the volume up.  
"Hey, I know this one!" she laughed. The Doctor shook his head.

"No, you knew the original. This is the remix."

As if on cue, the regular beat of_ Up The Junction_ was replace with a loud, deep, rattling sound. Annie cringed and quickly turned it back down.  
"That," she began, "is music?" The Doctor couldn't help but laugh.

"Hey, you think that's bad you should check out the top 40 in 2036." Annie laughed with him, but they were both interrupted by the now all too familiar buzz of interference. Or not interference, as The Doctor had tried to explain. Suddenly he was animate, jumping around the console, flicking switches and pressing buttons. Annie stood back and let him work. After a few moments, the buzzing died down and The Doctor stopped.

"No!" he exclaimed, turning some dials on the radio.

"What's wrong?" Annie asked. He turned to her, a look of defeat spread across his face.

"It seems that we're not going to be able to get a location from where the extra signal is coming from, because the signal of the radio itself is too strong. Whatever is trying to get through is weak. For now, anyway." He sighed and collapsed against the console, his forehead pressed against the central column with his eyes closed. "What are we supposed to do now?" he muttered. Annie couldn't figure out whether he was talking to her, or the TARDIS or maybe just to himself, but she answered anyway.

"We'll go to the radio place. Maybe they know about this. Maybe they don't. Either way, it can't hurt to go hunting." The Doctor's eyes shot open. He turned to Annie and embraced her unexpectedly, laughing.

"Oh, Annie Hunt you absolute genius!" Annie hugged him back slightly before pushing him away.

"Okay, okay, Doctor! Enough hugging, go fly your box!" The Doctor smiled and turned to the console, and was about to start pushing buttons again until Annie yelled, "Wait!"

"What?" he asked, turning around. She ran to her deck chair and sat down, gripping to the edge for dear life.

"Okay, now you can go." He rolled his eyes at her and she stuck out her tongue before he turned back to the console.

"Okay, Annie," he said, throwing a lever. "Let's go solve us a mystery." She laughed and gripped even tighter and The Doctor continued to run about the console, all the while thinking to himself. They were off to solve a mystery, yes. But the mystery of the interference or the mystery of a certain Miss Annie Hunt?

* * *

The TARDIS pretty much crashed rather than landed at the radio station, and there was an awful lot of awkward explaining done when Annie and The Doctor stepped out of the box into a room full of slack-jawed and wide-eyed workers. Most of them didn't buy their circus magician story, but one man that did was George Watt. He wasn't exactly a short man, but was a could couple of inches smaller than both Annie and The Doctor, and his quick acceptance of his lie told The Doctor that he wasn't the brightest of people he'd worked with.

"So, George," Annie said to the man as he took them, as they'd asked, to his boss. "Worked here long?" The Doctor dropped back slightly and let the two talk, paying more attention to Annie than the conversation.

"Not too long," he replied. His voice had a shaky quality to it that gave off the impression that he was a nervous man. He smiled and picked at the skin on his left thumb as he spoke. "About a month or two? I used to work in television, but it turns out my tech skills were more accustomed to the radio life. What about you? What do you do?"

"I, uh, I'm a librarian," she told him. He let out a low whistle.

"A librarian, huh? Impressive. Not many of those around these days. Books are getting rarer and rarer." Annie nodded in response, pretending to understand, but inside her she felt like someone had punched her in the stomach. Only a decade in the future and books were already becoming obsolete? How horrible. They walked the rest of the way in an awkward silence, George breaking it only once to activate the lift.  
The Doctor thanked George for taking them this far when they reached the sleek black door of his boss' office, and he took his leave with a slight bow.

"Sorry, don't know why I just did that," he said, cursing himself. "I better be off." Annie nodded, feeling as awkward as she looked, and watched the man almost run back down the corridor.

"Strange man," The Doctor said, knocking on the door.

"Never mind that!" Annie exclaimed. "They don't have books anymore?!"

"Oh don't worry, they come back around. You lot are just going through a phase of downloads and ebooks and the like. Good ol' paperbacks will reign supreme, I promise." Annie let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank God. Because for a moment there I -" She was interrupted by the door opening. A tall woman stood before them, straight black hair and bright red lipstick.

"May I help you?" she asked. She had an air of authority about her that put on Annie on edge and she shifted uncomfortably. The Doctor didn't seem to notice.

"Oh I hope so!" he replied, barging into the room. Annie followed, avoiding eye contact with the woman. "I have a few issues I want to discuss."

"And you are...?"

"Oh, yes, sorry!" He pulled a badge out of his jeans pocket. "Minister of technology, er, radio department. Checking up on, er, a few bugs we've encountered." The woman crossed her arms over her chest and looked closely at the badge. She frowned, the corners of her lips turning further down than they naturally sat anyway, and breathed sharply through her nose.

"Bugs? I think you have the wrong radio station," she replied curtly. The Doctor stuffed his badge back in his pocket and shook his head.  
"No, I don't think we do Miss...?"

"Ms," she corrected. "Ms Storm." The Doctor flashed her a warm, reassuring smile, but she didn't bridle.

"Ms Storm, we don't mean to bother you it's just -"

"Well you are bothering me," she interrupted. The Doctor backed down a little and Annie took over.

"And we're very sorry about that. We just need to ask you a few questions, that's all. We'll only take up a small percentage of your very important time." The Doctor shot her a warning look, picking up on the slight tone of sarcasm in her voice, but Ms Storm didn't seem to notice. She stared at Annie a little while, taking in her appearance before replying with a sharp nod and directing them to two chairs that were placed in front of her desk.

"You have five minutes, no more," she told them as she took her seat - a significantly comfier chair behind the desk. Annie sat across from her. The Doctor didn't. Instead, he paced the width of her office and spoke as he walked.

"I was in a restaurant today," he began. "Nice restaurant. Good staff. Not great food, but then again I don't like pizza and it was Pizza Express. Anyway, I was sat there relaxing, and listening to your radio show." Storm smiled to herself and leaned forward.

"Please, go on," she insisted. The Doctor continued pacing.

"Well, you were playing a song. Not sure what song and it wasn't really my cup of tea, but that's irrelevant. What is relevant, however, is the interference." He stopped and turned to Storm just in time to see a look of panic wash across her face before disappearing quickly under her rock hard exterior. The Doctor smiled. "Oh look. You know what I'm talking about." She shifted uncomfortably where she sat and rearranged the pencils that lay scattered on her desk.

"I can promise you I don't have a -"

"Oh, drop it, Storm. I saw the look on your face. One mention of interference and you looked like a rabbit in the proverbial headlights. Seriously, as a bad guy, you're pretty rubbish." This gained a smile from Storm.

"Pretty rubbish? You say that now. But I can't be that rubbish seeing as I took your friend about three minutes ago and you're yet to notice." The Doctor's eyes went instantly to the chair where Annie was sat. Or, more correctly, the chair where Annie had been sat. Now it was empty, and Storm let out a laugh.

* * *

"Put her back," he demanded, marching to her desk. "She's only here because I was curious, so put her back." Storm shrugged.

"Can't. Once they've been taken, they've been taken." She sat back in her chair.

"Taken? Taken where, taken by who? Oh come on, you've already got her, the least you can do is be less vague about things!" He was angry now, and he had to grit his teeth to try and control himself. Storm looked at him, then looked down at her desk before standing.

"Okay. You have a fair point. I might as well tell you, seeing as there's no way to get her back. And anyway, seeing the look on your face will be priceless." She walked around the desk to where he was stood and smiled. "Oh, but I should have taken you," she muttered, stroking the side of his face. The Doctor stood still, resisting the urge to flinch. "You're much prettier. No? Don't think so? Well, at least narcissism isn't one of your qualities. I admire that. Not all of us are that lucky."

"Get to the point, Storm," he said, almost warning her. She sighed.

"Oh, you're no fun. Anyway, you're little friend is just atoms in the air by now. We took her. For the Greater Good."

"The greater good? What greater good?"

"The main cause. The first being. The one thing that's going to conquer all evil in the world. The Greater Good has ruled us all since... Well, forever." The Doctor scoffed.

"'Conquer all evil'? And how is kidnapping innocent girls you've never met going to help do that?!"

"It wants them. It takes those that don't make sense. The ones with different ideas, the ones from far away. And Annie seemed so... ripe. So the Good took her. And not just girls. We've been taking people for years, and nobody's ever noticed. But you..." she looked him up and down. "What made you so suspicious about the interference? Everyone else has just passed it off for what it sounds like. What we want people to think it is. We've tried to control them, but -"

"Them?" The Doctor repeated. "What do you mean, 'them'? It's just a signal. It's -" he paused, realisation washing over him. "Oh. Ohhhh. That's good. The interference - you aren't doing that. That's a side effect of your ridiculous plan. The interference... it's not just a signal overlapping. It's a whole other thing, trying to overwrite your system. It's not just an annoyance, Storm..." he smirked, walked around her desk and sat in her seat. Storm visibly cringed. "It's a cry for help." She gritted her teeth and stared down at The Doctor, not allowing herself to talk in case she gave anything else away. He raised an eyebrow at her. "The silent treatment? Really? You think that's going to help you?" Storm didn't say a word. The Doctor sighed. "Oh, well, if you're not going to tell me anything I guess I'll just have to leave and accept that I'll never Annie back." He stood, straightened her pencils for her and walked to the door. Storm let out a small but audible sigh of relief, causing The Doctor to turn on his heels. "You really thought it was going to be that easy?" He smirked again and pulled out his sonic. Pointing it over his shoulder, he sealed the door.

"Oh. That was unexpected," Storm admitted.

"That's what being a good guy is all about. Catching the bad guy off guard, no matter how terrible they are at being a bad guy," he said, sauntering over to where Storm was stood. She let out a shaky laugh.

"Terrible at it? Are you forgetting I still have your friend?"

"Yes, but you don't, do you? You said she was atoms by now. But we both know that's not quite true. What atoms do you know that can form a cry for help? No, I think these people are alive. And fairly close, going by the energy signals I got from your tech boy downstairs." Storm's eyes widened. "Oh, so he's in on this, is he? George-y boy?" She shook her head quickly in response.

"Not exactly. He is. But he doesn't know it," she told him. The Doctor didn't speak, his silence being her cue to continue. She sighed in defeat and slumped in a chair, prepared to tell The Doctor everything. "Fine. We transferred him when we saw how good he was at hiding signals under other signals. And how clever he was. He managed to set up teleport beams in the radios, so we could take people. Not that he knows about it, of course. He just thinks he's enhancing out sound and taking part in some friendly rivalry with other radio stations, when actually he's calming down the... the cries. Well, we call them the Storms." She sat back, evidently proud of this.

"Named them after yourself, did you?" She blinked in response.

"I did mention the narcissism thing. Anyway, it was working for a while. But then the Good got more desperate. He told me that something new was coming - something old and foreign but new and oh so acquainted with this world. He said he needed to rid the world of the thinkers quickly before it arrived - the ones with bright ideas and the ones that were different - so the thinkers didn't try and change the way of things. That's all the Greater Good wants to do," she explained. "It just wants to preserve the old order of things." The Doctor stood in front of her chair, listening intently. 'Something old and foreign but new and acquainted with this world'? That had to be about him. And the old order of things? Wasn't that what he had tried to do once? He sighed and sat across from her.

"Look, Storm..." he began.

"Alyson, please. I think we should probably be on first name terms now," she said. She looked defeated and disheveled.

"Okay, Alyson. I'm The Doctor. And I just want my friend back. I just want all those people back. This Greater Good, whatever it is, isn't the one you should be listening to. How long have you been taking its orders, eh? How long?"

"About... I don't know. Twelve, maybe thirteen years?"

"And what have you achieved?"

"I don't... I mean..." she searched for something - anything - but nothing came. She looked up at The Doctor, her eyes full of regret. She was half the woman she was twenty minutes ago, and she seemed shorter somehow now too. Her clothes seemed too big and she'd completely lost her air of authority. "Nothing. Twelve years of my life. It came to me, one night, when I was alone. I was only sixteen. So impressionable. It told me of a future, one that had to be stopped. And that sacrifices had to be made. That was twelve years ago. And now, nothing. Just a cellar full of people." The Doctor shifted slightly at the mention of the basement, but Storm didn't seem to notice that she'd just given away the location - she was too lost in her memories and was drowning in guilt.

"Look," he began, taking one of her hands in his and pulling her up from the depths of nostalgia. "I'm going to walk away from this. You can too. No more kidnapping. No more Greater Good. This whole thing... it's not right. I'm not even sure what this Greater Good is. And I've been about a bit. So I'll find out. I'll stop it. And you can have your life back." He stood, and pulled her up with him. "How about it, Alyson Storm? An ordinary, human life? I hear the Olympics this year are going to be great." Alyson looked to the ground, taking everything in. A life. A real, normal life. Without the whispers of Good. Just a normal life. She looked up at him and gave a small smile.

"Okay, Doctor. A real, normal, life."

* * *

It only took The Doctor ten minutes or so to gain access to the cellar. When he'd called Alyson Storm a terrible bad guy earlier, he hadn't realised how right he'd been. I mean, she had her victims locked in the underground of her workplace. Hardly Consulting Criminal standard work, here. He broke into her weak security system in a matter of minutes and entered the cellar to reveal something a little more villainy. A room full of time-locked cages. So the people inside didn't age, and had no idea how long they'd been trapped there. He opened every cell carefully, releasing a decades worth of kidnapped civilians, until he came to the most recent. Annie Hunt, sat in the corner of her time-locked cell, drawing the TARDIS on the floor with a rock. He opened the glass door to her cell and smiled.

"Taxi for Miss Annie Hunt?" he joked. She looked up from her drawing, and smiled back at him.

"Oh, yes please!" she replied. She stood and ran to him, hugging the man. He staggered back a little, but hugged her back just as tight once he'd regained his footing. They stayed in the embrace for a while before Annie wriggled away. "So what happened? Where are we? What happened with Storm?" The Doctor nodded to the door and they both exited.

"Still in the radio building. Alyson Storm was working for something called the Greater Good that took people that were different. That were clever and interesting and possibly going to change the world." The Doctor looked at Annie. "So I don't know what it wanted with you." Annie hit him playfully on the arm.

"Rude."

"Sorry; couldn't resist. Anyway, we had a chat. I convinced her that the Greater Good was a load of rubbish and we just walked away. A surprisingly easy defeat to be honest."

"Pretty rubbish, to be honest," Annie corrected as they found the TARDIS.

"Well, in all fairness, she was a pretty rubbish villain," he countered, unlocking the doors. Annie rushed in like a child coming home from a long day at school and took her favourite seat.

"And the Greater Good? You defeated it, yeah? It was all dramatic and cool?" The Doctor shifted uncomfortably and walked to the console, pretending he hadn't heard her. "Doctor."

"Well, not exactly. I don't really know what it is," he admitted. Annie made a face that told him she wasn't impressed. "But that's always another mystery for next time!" he continued, and Annie nodded in agreement.

"So the TARDIS took us here because of the Greater Good thing that we need to figure out? Good. I'm starting to like this box. And what about the interference? What was that?"

"Cries for help," he told her. She gasped.

"That's horrible!" she exclaimed.

"Just think, you might have been one of them." Annie shook her head.

"Nope. I never cry. Not in any sense of the word. Never have. Never will." She crossed her arms across her chest in defiance and The Doctor chuckled.

"You're a strange one, Annie Hunt," he told her. Then a little quieter and to himself, "I just wish I could figure out why."


End file.
